Livin' the Dream with Green Stamps: A 1975 Catalog - Flashbak (2024)

FAQs

Are S&H Green Stamps worth anything anymore? ›

S&H Green Stamps do have some value as collectibles, but you can't redeem them for goods anymore. If you're interested in buying or selling vintage stamps, you can find them on websites like eBay.

The variety of products that Green Stamps could be redeemed for was amazing. By the 1960s, the S&H "Ideabook" catalog contained 178 pages of items from dish towels and ash trays to fishing poles, bicycles, furniture and appliances.

S&H Green Stamps was a line of trading stamps popular in the United States from 1896 until the late 1980s. They were distributed as part of a rewards program operated by the Sperry & Hutchinson company (S&H), founded in 1896 by Thomas Sperry and Shelley Byron Hutchinson.

They were given out in denominations of one, ten, and fifty points. Simply stick the stamps into the free 24-page booklets that were offered by retailers and once you filled up all the pages, you had 1,200 points. You could then use those points to select items from the S&H catalog.

A S&H GREEN STAMPS QUICK SAVER BOOK VINTAGE collection currently holds a market value of 10-15$ for each book. This value is determined by performing a market research based upon similar items sold in latest auctions and private sales.

S&H Green Stamps hit their zenith in the 1960s and '70s. There were S&H stores in various locations around town as early as 1953 and as late as 1978, though one could redeem via catalogs as well. The stores were associated with Sunshine Food Markets, which, unsurprisingly, offered the stamps in all of their stores.

S&H Green Stamps were the first trading stamps popular across the U.S. and Europe, although the company did have competitors. “S&H” stands for the Sperry & Hutchinson Co., which was founded by Thomas Sperry and Shelley Byron Hutchison in 1896, according to Greg Hatala in a 2013 article on NJ.com.

Vintage S&H Green Stamps Idea Book 1980 Catalog, 1200 Green Stamps, Green Stamp Store, Shopping With Green Stamps, Quick Saver Book - Etsy.

Yet they never lost value. Those who still have S&H stamps can now redeem them for electronic certificates and “SuperCertificates” (that can be converted to gift cards) for use at hundreds of businesses such as Sephora, REI, Bath & Body Works, Barnes & Noble, T.J.

What is the history of Green Stamps? ›

program in the United States, S&H Green Stamps, was sponsored by Sperry & Hutchinson. The company started operations in 1896 and flourished from the 1930s through the 1960s. In 1964 the S&H Green Stamp catalog became the largest single publication distributed in the United States.

S&H sold its stamps to retail stores that would then give them out to customers as an incentive to shop at their store over a competitor's or to buy more of a particular product. Customers would collect the stamps, which ranged in value from one to 50 points and place them in a booklet provided free by S&H.

Stamps were withdrawn altogether in 1991 and the company entered voluntary liquidation in 2002.

For investing purposes, the value of stamps depends on demand, trends, origin, and condition of a stamp. Unused stamps are more valuable than used ones. However, if a stamp is very rare, it could be investment-grade even if its condition is less than perfect.

In truth, the majority of stamps are actually worth very little because they are issued in huge quantities. However, if you are lucky enough to own a collection of rare stamps which are in good condition it might be a very valuable asset.